I never repeat the blurb - you can read that for yourselves. This was OK and I did read through to the end just to see what had happened, but I didn't care that much. The writing, albeit in translation, was superficial and, at points, banal, and none of the characters inspired any empathy or feeling of likeability. Will not read any more by this author.

I enjoyed this novel so much. It is well written, intelligently plotted and is a rewarding read. I related to the quandary facing the family at the very core of the storyline and thought it was absorbing, full of suspense and mystery: a classy psychological legal thriller full of twists and turns, blind alleys and red herrings.
The story is set in Sweden and told from three different points of view and in three parts. Stella Sandal is eighteen years of age. She is the daughter of Adam and Ulrika, he a pastor and she a criminal defence attorney: popular and upstanding and well respected members of their community. Stella is arrested as a suspect for the murder of a local businessman Chris Olsen who was in his thirties. She is awaiting trial and held in prison. Her father thinks she is being framed, her mother believes she is hiding something and they are both trying to protect her interests. Stella has been keeping secrets from her parents and doesn’t want them to hear them in court. Just how well do they know her, they wonder. They do not believe the evidence against her is conclusive and are frustrated at being kept away from her, only kept in the loop by a former talented associate of Ulrika’s, who has stepped in to act on Stella’s behalf. But just how far would her parents go to assure her release with all of the charges against her dropped?
As the story gathers pace and then reaches a thrilling conclusion, her parents wonder if the truth of what happened will ever be revealed. The day of the trial will soon arrive and time is running out for Stella, still behind bars and frightened about what is to come. There are three sides to this story and with all of the characters telling their version of what happened that fateful night in court anything could happen. Who will be summoned to give evidence and will the truth be revealed at last? The tension, expectation and drama of the court room is my favourite part of the story as the final verdict is delivered.
I received a complimentary copy this book through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Macmillan, all in exchange for an honest review. Thank you most sincerely for my copy. I thought this was a good read as it kept me guessing right until the final few pages. It is a 4.5* review from me.

I wanted to love this book with its intriguing premise, but was left feeling disappointed. I found it to be repetitive in parts this. Maybe this was down to the translation. An enjoyable read but not a book that’s memorable

I had been really looking forward to reading this but i was so disappointed. The narrator was so dull and the everything was told to us rather than shown. I found it such a struggle to get through the first dozen chapters that i had to give up which i hate doing with books.

A really gripping account of a family ripped apart by the accusation of a crime - but who is innocent and who is guilty? Told through the three contrasting points of view of the family, the truth unfurls at a great pace. Much to enjoy in this novel. Highly recommended.

I definitely enjoyed this book, and found it interesting.
It's a thriller, but not to find who did it. We already know it and it's more about what happens when family tries to protect the ones they love.
I liked to read about the Swedish justice system, it was a new thing for me. I liked to hear the story from different perspectives. It was written very well.
All in all, really good literary/thriller that gives you more than just a chase.

Thanks a lot NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

"A Nearly Normal Family" provides an interesting insight into the Swedish criminal justice system, mental health and the lengths we will go to in an attempt to protect our children. I liked that we got to hear the perspectives of both parents and daughter, each voice distinct. I loved the literary references too.

A thriller with a difference, the most important thing is not who did it but the lengths a family will go to, to protect the ones they love. I kind of figured out how things were going to play, but it was interesting to see the author weave such a complex narrative web.
I thoroughly enjoyed Stella's perspective, she came across as a really strong character. The other perspectives gave definition to her personality, it was easy to see how she found herself in such a dark place.

Actual rating 3.5*

I was very excited to read this book, however it did seem to drag a little and i didn't feel that i was pulled into the story, I was able to put the book down and pick it up again maybe days later.
But if I had been thoroughly dragged into the story then I would have probably finished the book in one sitting.

The story was good, and the twist was cool, but it didn't hold enough POW to keep me invested in the story.

Slow burners are great, and i can totally see why people are raving about this book,, it just unfortunately was not for me this time.

An interesting, nail biting read. It will keep you guessing throughout, a great thriller book.
The plot is amazing and characters are well established.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Firstly I have to say that this book has been translated seamlessly which meant there was never a time when the writing jarred. I thought the use of three povs would be intriguing but actually it was slightly annoying and the story was retold again, and again, and again. The denouement with the final telling (the mother) actually didn’t tell us anything we hadn’t already worked out but actually made me irritated. I couldn’t identify with either of the parents so therefore didn’t empathise with their angst, particularly the mother’s. Sorry because I really wanted to like this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for the ARC.

After hearing and reading such amazing reviews I was super excited to get the chance to read this book, unfortunately for me it just didnt click!

I found it disappointingly slow burning and repetitive, to the point I wanted to shout out "will you just get on with it" on many occasions.

I tried and tried to get into it but it just didnt happen so sadly I gave up 2/3 of the way through.

This book has been translated into English so the old adage "lost in translation" springs to mind!

I think I'll be one of the very few that dont love this book but an honest opinion was promised so an honest opinion is given.

I feel quite disappointed in this book. I found it repetitive throughout. Maybe that was the translation. It was never as good as I thought it could have been. The ending was satisfactory.

A really intriguing story told from different points of view. A slow start but got better as it progressed. Haven't read any of this author's books before but enjoyed this so will look out for future books.

The parents of Stella celebrate her 18th birthday Later that night a murder has been committed and Stella has been arrested.. The story is told from the perspective of Father Daughter and Mother. The character development is very well done. Despite it being a long book, it is nevertheless gripping, raising so many issues. Beautifully written

Absolutely AMAZING:
This is a translation set in Sweden written by a Swedish author. I struggled with The Girl with the dragon tattoo as it felt clunky. This translation is just magnificent. I cannot praise this book enough.
5/5 on goodreads.

This was a tricky one for me. I've never read any of Edvardsson's work before, but the reviews were largely positive, and I do love a good thriller.

At first, I was intrigued by this 'unusual three part structure', which starts with the father's perspective, then Stella's, then the mother. However, the more I read, the more I felt that this perspective just wasn't working for me. It's hard to explain, but it almost felt like the action was always happening just off screen. I don't mind books leaving the truth of the situation for a big final reveal, but for me it ended up leaving me struggling to pay attention, and engage with the plot.

One big positive for me was the quality of the translation. I've had mixed experiences with translated novels, but this one had great flow, and didn't do that odd thing of throwing in random Swedish words to remind you that it's set in a different country.

I also enjoyed the role that the family dynamics played in the novel. I won't say too much, but as soon as the perspective switches to Stella, you start questioning everything that has come before, and it made for a really intriguing look at how different people in the same family can have a radically different perspective on the past.

Overall, it wasn't the worst I've ever read. It had great potential, but for me, it just never quite delivered what I was expecting.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not influenced this review, and all opinions are honest and my own.

An interesting book posing the question of what you would do to save your family, but I never felt I really got to know the characters or understand their motivations. I also found the translation quite clunky at times with people often suffering from "spaghetti" limbs, and the odd use of old fashioned phrases such as "everything hurts so frightfully much" (location 3242) "as August was panting its last hot breaths" (location 3100) and I'm still not sure what "deal" meant in locations 825/830 and 831. Unfortunately once I started to notice these I found it difficult to concentrate properly on the story.
thank you to netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and M. T. Edvardsson for the chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

“We were a perfectly ordinary family, and then everything changed.”

Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell is being held on suspicion of murder. Her father is sure she’s innocent. Her mother thinks there’s a chance she’s guilty.The evidence against her is mounting and yet her lips are sealed. Did she brutally stab Christopher Olsen in a fit of jealousy or is there another culprit out there? Why won’t she tell them where she was that night? Does she know what happened?

Told in three parts, each from the perspective of a different family member, each of our narrators are unreliable and leave us wondering which parts of their versions are true. The first part, which was narrated by the father, was probably the slowest and least enjoyable of them all for me. I think I just didn’t like him and quickly got the impression that despite being a pastor he was not practicing what he preached and was one of those who used their faith to excuse what they do wrong. I also found his spiraling unethical behaviour both idiotic and hypocritical. As a parent of teens I did understand some of his feelings and actions but something just never sat quite right with me and I had more empathy for his rebellious teenage daughter.

Part two was where this book became impossible to put down. Narrated by Stella, I was gripped by the raw honesty and saddened by how her parents let her down, didn’t seem to listen to her and see who she really is. Her father in particular seems only concerned with control and making Stella who he thinks she should be. There was one particular incident where I was enraged at how they handled things. They failed their daughter at the time in her life she needed them the most and I understood her rage towards them. Her conversations with her psychologist were fascinating and I liked the observations she made about how we can all find parts of ourselves in any psychological test we take. As Stella told the story of the night Chris was killed I was on tenterhooks for the reveal only to have it snatched away as the author then switched narrators for part three. A frustrating but fantastic move on his part in my opinion. I had so many questions by this point and had no idea what the truth was so I was left with no other option but to read furiously to the end for answers.

As we reached the final part where the mother, Ulrika narrates, it is time for the trial. Ulrika is a lawyer and we learn she has used her legal knowledge to concoct a plan with her daughter’s lawyer Michael. She talks a lot about her guilt at failing her daughter over the years. She had always struggled to be close to her daughter and focused on her career to alleviate the guilt she felt at being an inadequate parent. She’s clearly hoping that she has the chance to rectify these mistakes, if the mysterious plan works. She knows more about what happened that night than we’ve been led to believe and as we head towards the end of the book the bombshells are dropped in spectacular style and left me reeling. Ulrika’s apprehension in this part of the book was palpable and it was impossible not to get caught up in how she felt.

I have read a few books lately that tackle the question of what you would do if your child was accused of murder. This novel stands out among them as a captivating, ambiguous and twisting story about family, the secrets we keep and the lengths we’ll go to for those we love. I liked that each narrator was unreliable as it left you trying to figure out who is telling the truth as well as guessing how the story will end.


The author pulled off an amazing coupe de grâce with the way he ended this book. I loved how he pulled everything together and kept the reader on tenterhooks until the very end. A Nearly Normal Family is a brilliant piece of Scandinavian Noir that I recommend to anyone who loves thrillers.

3.5 stars

This is a solid legal/psychological thriller that asks some challenging questions about honesty, morality, loyalty and faith, and how sometimes the 'right' thing is not the same as the legal thing. It was gripping and I enjoyed the twistiness of the plot, but I found the characters quite hard to relate to at times. It also seemed like some quite important plot points happened in a bit of a rush. It might be the translation has made it difficult to pick up on certain nuances, but I felt a bit distanced from it somehow. However, I do think it's a good read for fans of the genre.